Bill Granger was born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin on June 1, 1941. He attended DePaul University, where he was editor of the school newspaper, but did not graduate. While serving in the Army in the mid-1960s, he also worked as a copy boy at The Washington Post. During his nearly 40 years in journalism, he reported for United Press International, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Daily Herald.
He wrote 25 novels during his lifetime including The November Man, The Zurich Numbers, and Public Murders, which won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1981. He occasionally wrote under the pseudonyms Joe Gash and Bill Griffiths. He also wrote three nonfiction books with his wife including The Magic Feather. He died of heart failure on April 22, 2012 at the age of 70.
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